Contents

424 PART V: Analyzing and Reporting Researchcommunication. Even if you do not pursue a professional career in psychology,the principles of good written and oral research reports are applicableto a wide variety of employment situations. For example, a memo to yourdepartment manager describing the outcome of a recent sales event may havemuch the same format as a short journal article. Of more immediate concern,you may have to prepare a research proposal and write or deliver a researchreport in your research methods course. This chapter will help you do thesethings well.This chapter is intended primarily to help you get started with manuscriptpreparation and it is not a substitute for the Publication Manual of the AmericanPsychological Association (2010). What follows is an interpretation of the Manualby the authors and publisher (McGraw-Hill), and we recommend you consultthe latest edition of the APA Manual and the APA website for the most up-todate,definitive APA style.THE INTERNET AND RESEARCHAccess to the Internet has already become an indispensable tool for researchpsychologists, especially for communication via electronic mail (e-mail). For manyresearchers, e-mail is their primary means of communication with colleagues,journal editors, research collaborators, directors of granting agencies, and otherprofessionals. Have a question about an article you just read? Ask the author bysending an e-mail message. E-mailing is simple, efficient, and convenient. The firstauthor of your textbook, for example, can be reached by sending an e-mail messageto John J. Shaughnessy (Hope College) at shaughnessy@hope.edu.There is also a home page on the Web dedicated to this textbook, which canbe accessed for student resources (e.g., practice tests) and information aboutthe authors, changes in editions, additional resources for doing psychologicalresearch, and errors or omissions in the current edition, publisher’s address, orderinginformation, and so on. Visit our page: www.mhhe.com/shaughnessy9.The Internet also serves students and professional psychologists in manyother important ways, including discussion groups, databases, electronic journals,and original research.Discussion groups, called “Listservs,” allow interested individuals to discusspsychological issues in which they share an interest. The group consistsof a “list” of “subscribers” who wish to contribute to an ongoing discussion.List members are immediately “served” any message posted by a subscriber.There are hundreds of Listservs on the Internet that link researchers aroundthe world discussing a wide variety of topics, including addiction, religion,and women’s studies. Some Listservs are open to anyone who wishes to takepart in the discussion, including those who want to participate only passively(“lurk”). Other Listservs are open only to individuals with certain credentials(e.g., members of a particular APA division). APA and APS also sponsordiscussion groups for students that can be accessed through www.apa.org/apags/ and www.psychologicalscience.org/apssc/.Databases on the Internet are just that: electronic data files that are storedon the Internet and that can be accessed electronically. Databases related to